Richard Branson, daredevil, businessman, and entrepreneur, started Virgin Galactic in order to attempt to take advantage of the X Prize, which would have awarded $10 million to the first company that could make space tourism a reality instead of a fantasy. Now the Russians have been sending people up into space for a few years now, but at $30 million per trip and a six month commitment required to make that happen, for most people, space tourism can never become a reality.